MQM stands by Kashmiris: Altaf

TrendPK.com

LONDON: MQM chief Altaf Hussain Sunday advised Kashmiri people to deter of nothing, continuing that he and his party stand by them through all kinds of thick and thin, therefore, they should not consider themselves alone, reports TrendPK.

Meanwhile, Azad Kashmir PM Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, in goodwill gesture, went a step ahead, saying he would stand shoulder to shoulder with MQM if some elements again try to conspire against the Karachi’s majority party.

Earlier, PM AJK Majeed received warm welcome upon reaching NineZero. On the occasion, he visited Shaheed Memorial graveyard in Jinnah Ground and later held sittings with the members of MQM’s coordination committee.

Talking to media, Majeed said Altaf Hussain always voiced concerns for the rights of Kashmiri people, vowing to become stumbling block in way of conspiracy against MQM at all levels.

MQM’s Dr. Shagheer Ahmed said his party has always kept its stance very lucid and coherent on Kashmir issue that the most longstanding dispute of South Asia, the Kashmir row, be resolved in line with the wishes of people of Kashmir Valley.

During the visit, two leaders – PM AJK Majeed and Altaf Hussain – also held telephonic conversation. Hussain, on the occasion, called upon United Nations to have the Kashmir Dispute settled for the sake of durable peace in the region. “Kashmiri people should not consider themselves alone; MQM stands shoulder to shoulder with them through troubled waters,” Altaf maintained. TrendPK

Syria uprising intensifies, spills into Lebanon

 

Syrian armour moved against protest flashpoints and a general was gunned down in Damascus on Saturday as the bloodshed showed no signs of abating, even spilling over into Lebanon.

 

The Syrian National Council, or SNC, said Arab recognition of the opposition umbrella group was imminent, ahead of key talks on the crisis in Cairo on Sunday.

 

In Aleppo, tensions escalated as President Bashar al-Assad s forces stepped up security after twin car bombs killed 28 people and wounded 235 in Syria s second city on Friday, activists said.

 

Thirty-one people were killed across the country on Saturday, mostly civilians, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

 

Tank shelling killed 10 civilians in Homs, nine of them in the rebel stronghold neighbourhood of Baba Amr, Abdel Rahman told AFP. Dozens were wounded.

 

Assad s forces have waged a brutal week-long onslaught on the central protest city of Homs that has killed at least 500 people since February 4, Abdel Rahman said.

 

In Lebanon, a 17-year-old girl was among three people killed and 23 were wounded in clashes between Sunni Muslims hostile to Syria s regime and Alawites who support it, a security official said.

 

Ten of the wounded were Lebanese soldiers, including a sergeant in critical condition.

 

The rival factions in Tripoli fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other in the bloodiest clashes since June, when six people died in the wake of demonstrations against Syria s government.

 

In recent years Tripoli has been rocked by intense clashes between members of its Sunni-majority community and Alawites — the community from which hails the Syrian president.

 

Syrian state media, meanwhile, blamed “terrorists” for Friday s double car bomb attacks on security posts in Aleppo.

 

The rebel Free Syrian Army accused the “criminal” regime of launching the attacks “to steer attention away from what it is doing in Homs, Zabadani and elsewhere.”
 

Rulers dishonoured court verdicts: Nawaz

 

In a statement, PML-N chief said respecting court orders was an essential factor for strengthening democratic system and rule of law.

 

“Muslim League is resolute towards ensuring implementation on court verdicts,” he asserted.

 

He said the attitudes of elected rulers must be distinct in comparison to dictatorial regimes.

 

Nawaz described supremacy of the Constitution, independent judiciary, effective media and the right of the people to elect or reject rulers as fruits of sacrifices rendered over a long period of time. He said these fruits cannot be put at stake for anyone s personal gain.

 

Military court formally indicts Brig Ali Khan

 

Brig Al Khan was taken into custody from the GHQ 6 months ago on charges of ties with defunct organization Hizb-ul-Tehreer.

 

A report said the military officer was indicted during the current week as summary of evidences was completed against him.

 

But on the other hand, ISPR has neither confirmed nor denied the news.

 

However a retired officer of Judge Advocate General (JAG) department of Pak Army and expert of court martial cases , Col(R) Muhammad Akram told foreign media organization that the family members of Brig Ali contacted him to plead his case in the military court.

 

According to the military law, after framing the charges against any official, the process of court martial is started within few days.

 

The court indicted Brig Ali Khan under the charges that he was in contact with Hizb-ul-Tahreer and he made pledges with the high command of the banned organization to help them in their designs.

 

According to charge sheet, he not only tried to implement their terms in GHQ but also made efforts to take several officers into confidence in this regard.

 

Sources said anyone found involved with Brig Ali Khan would also be tried in the military court. –Online
 

CM’s Laptop Scheme and Nargis ‘Mujra’

 

Dances of stage actress Nagris

 

This shocking mix-up has left many a recipient reeling in disgust as no one could expect such delinquency in an educational scheme.

 

Some 5,443 students of Bahauddin Zakriya University were given free laptops by the Punjab government. However, the CDs which were meant to have educational software instead had the stage actress’ dances.

 

The students said that CM Shahbaz Sharif should direct the officials concerned to check the CDs being given under the scheme.
 

No dividing Sindh: Khursheed Shah

 

He said the PPP instead empowered the provinces with the 18th amendment.

 

Addressing a party gathering in Ali Wahan area of Sukkur, the PPP minister said “political orphans’ have started to accuse PPP of trying to divide the Sindh province. He said these people have forgotten that the PPP has given identity to Pakhtuns, how come PPP divide Sindh.

 

He said unemployment would be overcome in Sindh by 2015 with the completion of the Thar Coal Project.

 

Mr Shah said Sindh got Rs 200 billion benefit due to the 18th amendment, and the amount would rise to Rs 800 billion.
 

Protests erupt in Kashmir as youth slain by Indian army

 

The brazen army officials described it as an “accidental” shooting in a shameless statement.

 

Ashiq Hussain Rather, 22, was killed late Friday when a soldier accidentally fired his rifle as security forces combed the area for militants, the army said.

 

The killing occurred in the Baramulla district of the scenic Kashmir valley.

 

“It was a case of the accidental discharge of a single bullet by a soldier which led to the unfortunate incident,” Lieutenant General S.A. Hasnain said.

 

The statement was a true reflection of the mindset dominant in the Indian army towards unarmed Kashmiris. However, a single bullet is what it takes to claim someone’s life.

 

“The deceased was innocent. Inquiries have been ordered,” the Indian official said.

 

Police used baton charges and teargas to disperse the protesters who were blocking traffic along the main Kupwara-Baramulla highway in Indian Kashmir, according to reports.–AFP

 

Ready for alliance with any party: Elahi

A high level delegation of PML-Q led by Senior Federal Minister Pervez Elahi called on Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chairman Sahibzada Fazal Karim.

 

Talking to the media after the meeting, Ch Pervez Elahi said that PML-Q and SIC have agreed on alliance inside and outside the parliament.

 

Sahibzada Fazal Karim denied possibility of any talks with Pakistan Defence Council as it has representation of banned outfits.
 

UK cops arrest 8 in bribery probe at Murdoch’s Sun

 

The Scotland Yard arrested five staff at The Sun tabloid, a member of the armed forces, a defence official and a policeman.

 

The arrests cast a shadow over the future of Britain s biggest selling daily, following the phone hacking scandal which led to the closure of its weekly sister paper the News of the World in July.

 

The arrested Sun staff were deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and reporter John Sturgis, a source with knowledge of the investigation said.

 

“I m as shocked as anyone by today s arrests but am determined to lead The Sun through these difficult times,” said Sun editor Dominic Mohan.

 

“I have a brilliant staff and we have a duty to serve our readers and will continue to do that. Our focus is on putting out Monday s newspaper.”

 

News International — the British newspaper arm of Murdoch s global media operation — would not confirm reports that Murdoch was flying to London to reassure Sun staff that he would not close the paper down.

 

Scotland Yard said it had now broadened its investigation into alleged payments by journalists for information, which had previously focused on bribes paid to the police.

 

“The remit of Operation Elveden has widened to include the investigation of evidence uncovered in relation to suspected corruption involving public officials who are not police officers,” it said in a statement.

 

It said five men aged 45, 47, 50, 52 and 68 were arrested in dawn raids at their homes in London and nearby areas on suspicion of corruption and of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office.

 

In the first cases of their kind, a Ministry of Defence employee aged 39 was arrested at her home in Wiltshire, southwest England, and a 36-year-old man serving in the armed forces was arrested in the same area.

 

Both were held on suspicion of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both offences.

 

All eight were still in police custody hours after their arrest.

 

Sky News said they were an army officer and his wife.

 

The Ministry of Defence said it would not comment on ongoing police investigations.

 

A police officer in the county of Surrey, which borders London, was also arrested on suspicion of corruption and misconduct in a public office.

 

Surrey police were responsible for investigating the 2002 murder of teenager Milly Dowler, whose phone was hacked by the News of the World after she went missing.

 

Police said they had completed a search of the offices of News International in Wapping, East London. They were also searching the homes of the arrested people.

 

The arrests were made following information provided to police by the Management and Standards Committee set up by Murdoch s US-based News Corporation, Scotland Yard said.

 

News Corp. confirmed that the five men arrested were employees of The Sun and that it had provided the information.

 

“News Corporation remains committed to ensuring that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past will not be repeated and last summer authorised the MSC to co-operate with the relevant authorities,” it said.

 

Police have now made 21 arrests under Operation Elveden, including four current and former Sun journalists who were detained and bailed over alleged corruption in January.

 

Previous arrests in the bribery probe include Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive, and Andy Coulson, the former spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

 

Police have also made 17 arrests in the separate investigation into phone hacking.

 

Murdoch shut down the News of the World amid public outrage and British media said there were fears among employees at The Sun that he could do the same thing to it.

 

The Australian-born tycoon bought The Sun in 1969 and it is the flagship of his UK newspaper operation, selling around 2.5 million copies a day with its diet of sex and scandal.

 

The editor of The Times newspaper, which is also owned by Murdoch, apologised on Tuesday to a blog-writing detective unmasked by a former reporter of the newspaper who allegedly hacked his email.–AFP
 

Thai student on hunger strike over royal insult law

 

His father has been arrested under the kingdom s strict lese majeste laws began. He hunger strike on Saturday in Bangkok against the controversial legislation.

 

Activist Somyot Prueaksakasemsuk, the former editor of two now-defunct “Red Shirt magazines, was arrested last April and charged under article 112 of the Thai criminal code over two articles deemed critical of the Thai royals.

 

His son Panitan, a law student, began his strike on Saturday afternoon in front of Bangkok s criminal court, and was set to fast for 112 hours to highlight the point of law in question.

 

His protest, which a few dozen people came out to support, comes after the seventh request for his father s bail was denied last month.

 

“My hunger strike is to call for the right to bail and to show society the injustice on someone who was charged with lese majeste,” he told AFP before starting the protest.

 

He wore a white T-shirt with the message: “Give my dad the right to bail”.

 

Lese majeste carries a penalty of up to 15 years for each count and is designed to protect senior royals from insult, but academics say it has been politicised in recent years.

 

Many of those charged, like Somyot, have been linked to the “Red Shirt” movement which backed ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and other critics of the previous establishment-backed government.

 

The royal family is an extremely sensitive subject in Thailand, but calls for reform of the law have grown and sparked fierce debate in recent months after several high-profile convictions.

 

A 61-year-old man was jailed in November for 20 years for sending text messages deemed insulting to the monarchy, while a US citizen in December was also handed two-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly defaming the king. –AFP

 

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